Client Property Management Services

 

     Property Evaluation & Rental Market Analysis (a free service to you)

ALPS must evaluate the property to determine condition relative to similar properties that are on the market and with those that have rented and thus conduct a rental market analysis. If a property is found to be in need of repairs or updating, a landlord should plan on making those changes. A home that needs a fresh coat of exterior paint and needs that antique shag carpet replaced needs these updates in order to appeal to the prospective renters. Our experienced property managers will be able to apprise of these details, and if needed, we can even coordinate the repairs for you. Did you know that rentals in Texas require special door locks? We can advise you on that too, and we can coordinate their installation. Most homes have competition for renters, and it is important to be realistic about the amount to ask for rent. We are experts in pricing rent homes in our area, and we can demonstrate to you the price range for your rental and the expected time frame to get your home rented.


Promoting Your Property
ALPS, Inc. absorbs the advertising associated with marketing your property for lease and chooses the appropriate mix of advertizing methods in order to lease your property efficiently.  We will install a “For Lease� sign at the property (where permitted by law), install REALTOR® key safes, post the listing on our website, share the listing with leasing firms through the Austin Board of REALTORS®, and post the listing on a variety of real estate websites. We are proud of our leasing times and will share that information with you. When your property is vacant, we will make arrangements to have the yards mowed or other seasonal needs such as "winterizing" the property. Keeping up the curb appeal is important. You have only one time to make a first impression!


Evaluating Prospective Renters
Unlike some other management companies, each “occupant� 18 years or older is also considered by ALPS, Inc. as an “applicant,� and each applicant must complete an application and be evaluated. This is how we separate the wheat from the chaff because not every applicant will become a renter.  We will verify income and credit worthiness, so we have a picture of the prospect’s ability to pay the rent. We do not combine the income of unmarried persons. We verify two full years of job history and rental history. A criminal history check is performed, and applicants who forget that they have been to jail do not qualify, nor do felons, sex offenders, and other unsavory characters.


Our Residential Lease
Our Residential Lease is one of the best, if not “the best,� lease our industry has to offer. This is because for years, Rick Ebert, MPM® RMP®, the broker for ALPS, Inc., was a member of the Texas Association of REALTORS® Forms Committee. As TAR created them, he made sure he got what he needed for our owners and tenants. The current lease, coupled with our special attachments, is a powerful tool in our industry. You can see a sample of our lease on our website. We also have developed a Resident’s Handbook that we have made a part of the lease. The handbook provides tenants with powerful information to do business with the company and gives them information about how to maintain your property. This is provided to the tenants at no additional cost to you and is part of the way that we live up to our company slogan: We Manage For Your Success!


Collecting the Rent – and When Do I Get Paid?
Most leases are written for the rent to be due in the office on the first day of the month, but there are some exceptions. Rent proceeds are sent between the 10th and 15th of the month as is your statement. Our property management software program is one of the finest that can be found in the industry. Your monthly ledger will show income and all expenses and fees associated with the property. At the end of the year this information is recapped for you so that you may settle up with the IRS. Also, as a bonus to our clients,  you will receive a FREE landlord newsletter. The newsletter will keep you informed of what is happening in our area and in our industry. Our property management software program is one of the finest that can be found in the industry.

Tenant Move Out
A tenant is required to provide us with 30 days written notice to vacate the property (A form provided to the tenant at lease signing). After receiving the notice we will perform a Rental Market Analysis, inform you that the tenant will be moving, and provide you with the projected rent for the property. We will perform a walk through survey and make the necessary repairs and improvements to get the property rentable, and when needed, we will inform you of the need for additional repairs. We will then review the file information and any Move-In Condition form (provided to the tenant at lease signing), compare the two against the repairs made, and subtract charges that are deemed to be those of the tenant against the security deposit.


Security Deposit
The security deposit tendered by the tenant is maintained, by law, in an escrow account. By law, the landlord has 30 days to return the security deposit of a tenant who has vacated a property or to provide that tenant with a disposition of those funds. We will perform this service for you as a part of our management services.





Maintenance & Repairs
At ALPS, Inc., we strive to provide a timely response to repairs as this is a benefit to owners and to tenants alike. A prompt
response is in order in most cases, once it has been determined that the repair is warranted. Maintaining a rental is important to retain renters and to attract renters. We will make repairs up to the agreed amount in the property management agreement and contact you for repairs over that amount, unless the service is deemed an emergency. We do have 24/7 service for “true
emergencies.�

Service is usually initiated by a tenant completing a service request form (they are provided to the tenant at lease signing) and submitting it to the office. The Maintenance Coordinator or in some instances, the Property Manager, will review the request and then initiate the service. Once the work is completed, the invoice is reviewed to determine if the work ordered was completed and to determine if any part of the service should be the tenant’sresponsibility. The invoice is passed up to bookkeeping and the entry noted on your monthly statement.

Service work is spot checked, and we conduct random customer service surveys of tenants to see if the service work was performed professionally and if the service provider was professional and arrived at the agreed time.

Property Managers will perform random drive by property surveys to determine exterior property conditions and changes in the neighborhood. When warranted, the tenant will be advised that they are not adhering to the lease terms and to make the necessary corrections. At times, a service request will be made to correct an exterior condition resulting from normal wear
and tear. Other times, a contractor will be asked to submit a proposal to correct an expensive item, such as a roof repair or replacement, exterior paint, fence replacement, etc. These big ticket items will be forwarded to you for your review and consideration.


Property Tax Protest
We have been able to coordinate protesting the property taxes of our clients, which over the years has resulted in the savings of many thousands of dollars. In Texas, the property tax statements are sent in May and a property owner usually has 31 days to file a protest. When you become an ALPS, Inc. client, we will send you more informationon the steps that we will take on your behalf to protest your taxes.




Some Frequently Asked Questions
Insurance:
Q: Do I need to change my insurance if I use the home I’m living in as rental?
A: More than likely the answer is yes. Be sure to have your insurance agent add
liability insurance to the policy, and be sure that he adds our company as additionally insured to
the policy. Some times insurance agents will try to avoid this, but believe me, many insurers do
not have a problem with this request. I have had many insurance agents do an “about face� when
faced with a cancellation, and suddenly find out that their underwriter can “make an exception in
your case� and make the addition.
Tenant Selection:
Q: May I say who lives in my property?
A: The tenant selection criteria will be established when the property management
agreement is executed, and that will be the basis of the placement of tenants. This is a good time
to state how we at ALPS, Inc. do not discriminate on any federally defined protected classes.
Let’s face it, you are paying us for professional property management, so why not let us do that
job for you? After all this is what we have been doing for years on hundreds of properties.
Remember: We Manage for Your Success!

Now may be a good time to go back to the section on Evaluating Potential Renters. In
leasing, things move very quickly. A delay in reaching an owner can often times kill the deal,
and then the tenant moves into another property.
Repairs:
Q: Can you work with our home warranty program?
A: Yes, under most circumstances. We keep a list of those owners who have home warranty
contracts, and in most cases, we can contact them to make repairs. You may have to satisfy the
deductible first, it depends on the contract. If an emergency call comes in and if the warranty
company can’t handle the call as an emergency, then we will need to dispatch a contractor. If the warranty company can’t dispatch an air conditioner problem within 24 business hours and it’s
over 100* F, then we need to use one of our approved contractors to handle the call.
If you want details as to what happened with the service call handled by the warranty
company, you will need to contact them because they do not provide details.
Q: Can I use my own contractor to make repairs?
A: Yes. You will need to make arrangements for your contractor to schedule an
appointment with the tenant and to pay the contractor directly. Our preferred contractors provide
excellent service at competitive rates and place our calls at the front of the line because of the
amount of business we place with them. They know our standards, and after awhile, they will
become familiar with the history of your property. With the learning curve on your property
intact, our preferred contractors will spend less time on the job thus saving you money.
Questions Not Answered?
Please feel free to contact us to discuss your needs and concerns: we are here to help you.
We Manage For Your Success!